The fight for marriage equality may end in June if the highest court rules in favor.

Same-sex couples have had an uphill battle for marriage equality since 2004 when Massachusetts first legalized same-sex marriage, but now the fight could be over once and for all.

There are two sets of arguments under debate at the Supreme Court.

The first set focuses on same-sex marriage bans in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee. At debate is whether states must allow same-sex marriage.

The second set of arguments considers whether a state that has a same-sex marriage ban must recognize a same-sex marriage performed legally outside of state borders.

A decision requiring states to allow their own same sex couples to marry would resolve the issues at stake in both arguments. A “yes” from the Court would mean legalization nationwide, which is what makes it such a big deal, said Mrs. Beverly Gordon, Social Sciences Department Leader.

“Before the federal government makes a determination on something through the Supreme Court, states have the ability to weigh in on that issue,” said Gordon. “Once the federal government weighs in on it, states lose some of that power and autonomy.”

On the other side there is Justice Antonin Scalia, who asked if gay marriage existed at all before being legalized in the Netherlands in 2001. With Scalia stands Justice Samuel Alito asking if gay marriage were to be legalized, if polyamorous marriages would have to be legalized through the same logic, according to the New York Times.

The effects of this ruling from the Supreme Court may be felt here at Malvern. An anti-discrimination policy for employment published on Malvern’s website states that Malvern cannot discriminate based on sexual orientation.

“Every employee has the right to a non-discriminatory workforce and workplace,” said Ms. Neha Morrison, Malvern’s newly-hired Human Resources Director. “This policy at Malvern is standard-fare for workplaces today.”

What this means is that if there is an employee or prospective employee at Malvern who is either homosexual or married to a same-sex partner, Malvern will not discriminate in hiring or salary based based solely on their sexuality.

“As far as the policy goes,” Morrison went on to say, “it has been here since before I was hired. [Discrimination] is just something that Malvern doesn’t believe in.”

A federal judge struck down a ruling banning same-sex marriage in Pennsylvania in May 2014. Previously, since 1996, the state’s Defense of Marriage Act had defined marriage as being between a man and a woman.

Learn more about Malvern’s Equal Opportunity Policy